Homer

The Iliad: Book 1 - Poem by Homer

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Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that broughtcountless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it sendhurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogsand vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from theday on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, firstfell out with one another. And which of the gods was it that set them on to quarrel? It was theson of Jove and Leto; for he was angry with the king and sent apestilence upon the host to plague the people, because the son ofAtreus had dishonoured Chryses his priest. Now Chryses had come to theships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and had brought with him agreat ransom: moreover he bore in his hand the sceptre of Apollowreathed with a suppliant's wreath and he besought the Achaeans, butmost of all the two sons of Atreus, who were their chiefs. "Sons of Atreus," he cried, "and all other Achaeans, may the godswho dwell in Olympus grant you to sack the city of Priam, and to reachyour homes in safety; but free my daughter, and accept a ransom forher, in reverence to Apollo, son of Jove." On this the rest of the Achaeans with one voice were forrespecting the priest and taking the ransom that he offered; but notso Agamemnon, who spoke fiercely to him and sent him roughly away."Old man," said he, "let me not find you tarrying about our ships, noryet coming hereafter. Your sceptre of the god and your wreath shallprofit you nothing. I will not free her. She shall grow old in myhouse at Argos far from her own home, busying herself with her loomand visiting my couch; so go, and do not provoke me or it shall be theworse for you." The old man feared him and obeyed. Not a word he spoke, but wentby the shore of the sounding sea and prayed apart to King Apollowhom lovely Leto had borne. "Hear me," he cried, "O god of thesilver bow, that protectest Chryse and holy Cilla and rulest Tenedoswith thy might, hear me oh thou of Sminthe. If I have ever decked yourtemple with garlands, or burned your thigh-bones in fat of bulls orgoats, grant my prayer, and let your arrows avenge these my tears uponthe Danaans." Thus did he pray, and Apollo heard his prayer. He came downfurious from the summits of Olympus, with his bow and his quiverupon his shoulder, and the arrows rattled on his back with the ragethat trembled within him. He sat himself down away from the ships witha face as dark as night, and his silver bow rang death as he shothis arrow in the midst of them. First he smote their mules and theirhounds, but presently he aimed his shafts at the people themselves,and all day long the pyres of the dead were burning. For nine whole days he shot his arrows among the people, but uponthe tenth day Achilles called them in assembly- moved thereto by Juno,who saw the Achaeans in their death-throes and had compassion uponthem. Then, when they were got together, he rose and spoke among them. "Son of Atreus," said he, "I deem that we should now turn rovinghome if we would escape destruction, for we are being cut down bywar and pestilence at once. Let us ask some priest or prophet, or somereader of dreams (for dreams, too, are of Jove) who can tell us whyPhoebus Apollo is so angry, and say whether it is for some vow that wehave broken, or hecatomb that we have not offered, and whether he willaccept the savour of lambs and goats without blemish, so as to takeaway the plague from us." With these words he sat down, and Calchas son of Thestor, wisestof augurs, who knew things past present and to come, rose to speak. Heit was who had guided the Achaeans with their fleet to Ilius,through the prophesyings with which Phoebus Apollo had inspired him.With all sincerity and goodwill he addressed them thus:- "Achilles, loved of heaven, you bid me tell you about the anger ofKing Apollo, I will therefore do so; but consider first and swear thatyou will stand by me heartily in word and deed, for I know that Ishall offend one who rules the Argives with might, to whom all theAchaeans are in subjection. A plain man cannot stand against the angerof a king, who if he swallow his displeasure now, will yet nurserevenge till he has wreaked it. Consider, therefore, whether or no youwill protect me." And Achilles answered, "Fear not, but speak as it is borne in uponyou from heaven, for by Apollo, Calchas, to whom you pray, and whoseoracles you reveal to us, not a Danaan at our ships shall lay his handupon you, while I yet live to look upon the face of the earth- no, notthough you name Agamemnon himself, who is by far the foremost of theAchaeans." Thereon the seer spoke boldly. "The god," he said, "is angry neitherabout vow nor hecatomb, but for his priest's sake, whom Agamemnonhas dishonoured, in that he would not free his daughter nor take aransom for her; therefore has he sent these evils upon us, and willyet send others. He will not deliver the Danaans from thispestilence till Agamemnon has restored the girl without fee orransom to her father, and has sent a holy hecatomb to Chryse. Thuswe may perhaps appease him." With these words he sat down, and Agamemnon rose in anger. His heartwas black with rage, and his eyes flashed fire as he scowled onCalchas and said, "Seer of evil, you never yet prophesied smooththings concerning me, but have ever loved to foretell that which wasevil. You have brought me neither comfort nor performance; and now youcome seeing among Danaans, and saying that Apollo has plagued usbecause I would not take a ransom for this girl, the daughter ofChryses. I have set my heart on keeping her in my own house, for Ilove her better even than my own wife Clytemnestra, whose peer sheis alike in form and feature, in understanding and accomplishments.Still I will give her up if I must, for I would have the peoplelive, not die; but you must find me a prize instead, or I aloneamong the Argives shall be without one. This is not well; for youbehold, all of you, that my prize is to go elsewhither." And Achilles answered, "Most noble son of Atreus, covetous beyondall mankind, how shall the Achaeans find you another prize? We have nocommon store from which to take one. Those we took from the citieshave been awarded; we cannot disallow the awards that have been madealready. Give this girl, therefore, to the god, and if ever Jovegrants us to sack the city of Troy we will requite you three andfourfold." Then Agamemnon said, "Achilles, valiant though you be, you shall notthus outwit me. You shall not overreach and you shall not persuade me.Are you to keep your own prize, while I sit tamely under my loss andgive up the girl at your bidding? Let the Achaeans find me a prizein fair exchange to my liking, or I will come and take your own, orthat of Ajax or of Ulysses; and he to whomsoever I may come shallrue my coming. But of this we will take thought hereafter; for thepresent, let us draw a ship into the sea, and find a crew for herexpressly; let us put a hecatomb on board, and let us send Chryseisalso; further, let some chief man among us be in command, either Ajax,or Idomeneus, or yourself, son of Peleus, mighty warrior that you are,that we may offer sacrifice and appease the the anger of the god." Achilles scowled at him and answered, "You are steeped ininsolence and lust of gain. With what heart can any of the Achaeans doyour bidding, either on foray or in open fighting? I came notwarring here for any ill the Trojans had done me. I have no quarrelwith them. They have not raided my cattle nor my horses, nor cutdown my harvests on the rich plains of Phthia; for between me and themthere is a great space, both mountain and sounding sea. We havefollowed you, Sir Insolence! for your pleasure, not ours- to gainsatisfaction from the Trojans for your shameless self and forMenelaus. You forget this, and threaten to rob me of the prize forwhich I have toiled, and which the sons of the Achaeans have given me.Never when the Achaeans sack any rich city of the Trojans do I receiveso good a prize as you do, though it is my hands that do the betterpart of the fighting. When the sharing comes, your share is far thelargest, and I, forsooth, must go back to my ships, take what I canget and be thankful, when my labour of fighting is done. Now,therefore, I shall go back to Phthia; it will be much better for me toreturn home with my ships, for I will not stay here dishonoured togather gold and substance for you." And Agamemnon answered, "Fly if you will, I shall make you noprayers to stay you. I have others here who will do me honour, andabove all Jove, the lord of counsel. There is no king here sohateful to me as you are, for you are ever quarrelsome and illaffected. What though you be brave? Was it not heaven that made youso? Go home, then, with your ships and comrades to lord it over theMyrmidons. I care neither for you nor for your anger; and thus willI do: since Phoebus Apollo is taking Chryseis from me, I shall sendher with my ship and my followers, but I shall come to your tent andtake your own prize Briseis, that you may learn how much stronger I amthan you are, and that another may fear to set himself up as equalor comparable with me." The son of Peleus was furious, and his heart within his shaggybreast was divided whether to draw his sword, push the others aside,and kill the son of Atreus, or to restrain himself and check hisanger. While he was thus in two minds, and was drawing his mightysword from its scabbard, Minerva came down from heaven (for Juno hadsent her in the love she bore to them both), and seized the son ofPeleus by his yellow hair, visible to him alone, for of the othersno man could see her. Achilles turned in amaze, and by the fire thatflashed from her eyes at once knew that she was Minerva. "Why areyou here," said he, "daughter of aegis-bearing Jove? To see thepride of Agamemnon, son of Atreus? Let me tell you- and it shallsurely be- he shall pay for this insolence with his life." And Minerva said, "I come from heaven, if you will hear me, to bidyou stay your anger. Juno has sent me, who cares for both of youalike. Cease, then, this brawling, and do not draw your sword; rail athim if you will, and your railing will not be vain, for I tell you-and it shall surely be- that you shall hereafter receive gifts threetimes as splendid by reason of this present insult. Hold, therefore,and obey." "Goddess," answered Achilles, "however angry a man may be, he mustdo as you two command him. This will be best, for the gods ever hearthe prayers of him who has obeyed them." He stayed his hand on the silver hilt of his sword, and thrust itback into the scabbard as Minerva bade him. Then she went back toOlympus among the other gods, and to the house of aegis-bearing Jove. But the son of Peleus again began railing at the son of Atreus,for he was still in a rage. "Wine-bibber," he cried, "with the face ofa dog and the heart of a hind, you never dare to go out with thehost in fight, nor yet with our chosen men in ambuscade. You shun thisas you do death itself. You had rather go round and rob his prizesfrom any man who contradicts you. You devour your people, for youare king over a feeble folk; otherwise, son of Atreus, henceforwardyou would insult no man. Therefore I say, and swear it with a greatoath- nay, by this my sceptre which shalt sprout neither leaf norshoot, nor bud anew from the day on which it left its parent stem uponthe mountains- for the axe stripped it of leaf and bark, and now thesons of the Achaeans bear it as judges and guardians of the decrees ofheaven- so surely and solemnly do I swear that hereafter they shalllook fondly for Achilles and shall not find him. In the day of yourdistress, when your men fall dying by the murderous hand of Hector,you shall not know how to help them, and shall rend your heart withrage for the hour when you offered insult to the bravest of theAchaeans." With this the son of Peleus dashed his gold-bestudded sceptre on theground and took his seat, while the son of Atreus was beginningfiercely from his place upon the other side. Then uprosesmooth-tongued Nestor, the facile speaker of the Pylians, and thewords fell from his lips sweeter than honey. Two generations of menborn and bred in Pylos had passed away under his rule, and he wasnow reigning over the third. With all sincerity and goodwill,therefore, he addressed them thus:- "Of a truth," he said, "a great sorrow has befallen the Achaeanland. Surely Priam with his sons would rejoice, and the Trojans beglad at heart if they could hear this quarrel between you two, who areso excellent in fight and counsel. I am older than either of you;therefore be guided by me. Moreover I have been the familiar friend ofmen even greater than you are, and they did not disregard my counsels.Never again can I behold such men as Pirithous and Dryas shepherd ofhis people, or as Caeneus, Exadius, godlike Polyphemus, and Theseusson of Aegeus, peer of the immortals. These were the mightiest menever born upon this earth: mightiest were they, and when they foughtthe fiercest tribes of mountain savages they utterly overthrew them. Icame from distant Pylos, and went about among them, for they wouldhave me come, and I fought as it was in me to do. Not a man now livingcould withstand them, but they heard my words, and were persuaded bythem. So be it also with yourselves, for this is the more excellentway. Therefore, Agamemnon, though you be strong, take not this girlaway, for the sons of the Achaeans have already given her to Achilles;and you, Achilles, strive not further with the king, for no man who bythe grace of Jove wields a sceptre has like honour with Agamemnon. Youare strong, and have a goddess for your mother; but Agamemnon isstronger than you, for he has more people under him. Son of Atreus,check your anger, I implore you; end this quarrel with Achilles, whoin the day of battle is a tower of strength to the Achaeans." And Agamemnon answered, "Sir, all that you have said is true, butthis fellow must needs become our lord and master: he must be lordof all, king of all, and captain of all, and this shall hardly be.Granted that the gods have made him a great warrior, have they alsogiven him the right to speak with railing?" Achilles interrupted him. "I should be a mean coward," he cried,"were I to give in to you in all things. Order other people about, notme, for I shall obey no longer. Furthermore I say- and lay my sayingto your heart- I shall fight neither you nor any man about thisgirl, for those that take were those also that gave. But of all elsethat is at my ship you shall carry away nothing by force. Try, thatothers may see; if you do, my spear shall be reddened with yourblood." When they had quarrelled thus angrily, they rose, and broke up theassembly at the ships of the Achaeans. The son of Peleus went backto his tents and ships with the son of Menoetius and his company,while Agamemnon drew a vessel into the water and chose a crew oftwenty oarsmen. He escorted Chryseis on board and sent moreover ahecatomb for the god. And Ulysses went as captain. These, then, went on board and sailed their ways over the sea. Butthe son of Atreus bade the people purify themselves; so theypurified themselves and cast their filth into the sea. Then theyoffered hecatombs of bulls and goats without blemish on the sea-shore,and the smoke with the savour of their sacrifice rose curling uptowards heaven. Thus did they busy themselves throughout the host. But Agamemnon didnot forget the threat that he had made Achilles, and called his trustymessengers and squires Talthybius and Eurybates. "Go," said he, "tothe tent of Achilles, son of Peleus; take Briseis by the hand andbring her hither; if he will not give her I shall come with others andtake her- which will press him harder." He charged them straightly further and dismissed them, whereonthey went their way sorrowfully by the seaside, till they came tothe tents and ships of the Myrmidons. They found Achilles sitting byhis tent and his ships, and ill-pleased he was when he beheld them.They stood fearfully and reverently before him, and never a word didthey speak, but he knew them and said, "Welcome, heralds, messengersof gods and men; draw near; my quarrel is not with you but withAgamemnon who has sent you for the girl Briseis. Therefore, Patroclus,bring her and give her to them, but let them be witnesses by theblessed gods, by mortal men, and by the fierceness of Agamemnon'sanger, that if ever again there be need of me to save the peoplefrom ruin, they shall seek and they shall not find. Agamemnon is madwith rage and knows not how to look before and after that the Achaeansmay fight by their ships in safety." Patroclus did as his dear comrade had bidden him. He brought Briseisfrom the tent and gave her over to the heralds, who took her with themto the ships of the Achaeans- and the woman was loth to go. ThenAchilles went all alone by the side of the hoar sea, weeping andlooking out upon the boundless waste of waters. He raised his hands inprayer to his immortal mother, "Mother," he cried, "you bore me doomedto live but for a little season; surely Jove, who thunders fromOlympus, might have made that little glorious. It is not so.Agamemnon, son of Atreus, has done me dishonour, and has robbed meof my prize by force." As he spoke he wept aloud, and his mother heard him where she wassitting in the depths of the sea hard by the old man her father.Forthwith she rose as it were a grey mist out of the waves, sat downbefore him as he stood weeping, caressed him with her hand, andsaid, "My son, why are you weeping? What is it that grieves you?Keep it not from me, but tell me, that we may know it together." Achilles drew a deep sigh and said, "You know it; why tell youwhat you know well already? We went to Thebe the strong city ofEetion, sacked it, and brought hither the spoil. The sons of theAchaeans shared it duly among themselves, and chose lovely Chryseis asthe meed of Agamemnon; but Chryses, priest of Apollo, came to theships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and brought with him agreat ransom: moreover he bore in his hand the sceptre of Apollo,wreathed with a suppliant's wreath, and he besought the Achaeans,but most of all the two sons of Atreus who were their chiefs. "On this the rest of the Achaeans with one voice were for respectingthe priest and taking the ransom that he offered; but not soAgamemnon, who spoke fiercely to him and sent him roughly away. Sohe went back in anger, and Apollo, who loved him dearly, heard hisprayer. Then the god sent a deadly dart upon the Argives, and thepeople died thick on one another, for the arrows went everywhitheramong the wide host of the Achaeans. At last a seer in the fulnessof his knowledge declared to us the oracles of Apollo, and I wasmyself first to say that we should appease him. Whereon the son ofAtreus rose in anger, and threatened that which he has since done. TheAchaeans are now taking the girl in a ship to Chryse, and sendinggifts of sacrifice to the god; but the heralds have just taken from mytent the daughter of Briseus, whom the Achaeans had awarded to myself. "Help your brave son, therefore, if you are able. Go to Olympus, andif you have ever done him service in word or deed, implore the aidof Jove. Ofttimes in my father's house have I heard you glory inthat you alone of the immortals saved the son of Saturn from ruin,when the others, with Juno, Neptune, and Pallas Minerva would have puthim in bonds. It was you, goddess, who delivered him by calling toOlympus the hundred-handed monster whom gods call Briareus, but menAegaeon, for he is stronger even than his father; when therefore hetook his seat all-glorious beside the son of Saturn, the other godswere afraid, and did not bind him. Go, then, to him, remind him of allthis, clasp his knees, and bid him give succour to the Trojans. Letthe Achaeans be hemmed in at the sterns of their ships, and perishon the sea-shore, that they may reap what joy they may of theirking, and that Agamemnon may rue his blindness in offering insult tothe foremost of the Achaeans." Thetis wept and answered, "My son, woe is me that I should haveborne or suckled you. Would indeed that you had lived your span freefrom all sorrow at your ships, for it is all too brief; alas, that youshould be at once short of life and long of sorrow above your peers:woe, therefore, was the hour in which I bore you; nevertheless Iwill go to the snowy heights of Olympus, and tell this tale to Jove,if he will hear our prayer: meanwhile stay where you are with yourships, nurse your anger against the Achaeans, and hold aloof fromfight. For Jove went yesterday to Oceanus, to a feast among theEthiopians, and the other gods went with him. He will return toOlympus twelve days hence; I will then go to his mansion paved withbronze and will beseech him; nor do I doubt that I shall be able topersuade him." On this she left him, still furious at the loss of her that had beentaken from him. Meanwhile Ulysses reached Chryse with the hecatomb.When they had come inside the harbour they furled the sails and laidthem in the ship's hold; they slackened the forestays, lowered themast into its place, and rowed the ship to the place where theywould have her lie; there they cast out their mooring-stones andmade fast the hawsers. They then got out upon the sea-shore and landedthe hecatomb for Apollo; Chryseis also left the ship, and Ulyssesled her to the altar to deliver her into the hands of her father."Chryses," said he, "King Agamemnon has sent me to bring you back yourchild, and to offer sacrifice to Apollo on behalf of the Danaans, thatwe may propitiate the god, who has now brought sorrow upon theArgives." So saying he gave the girl over to her father, who received hergladly, and they ranged the holy hecatomb all orderly round thealtar of the god. They washed their hands and took up thebarley-meal to sprinkle over the victims, while Chryses lifted uphis hands and prayed aloud on their behalf. "Hear me," he cried, "Ogod of the silver bow, that protectest Chryse and holy Cilla, andrulest Tenedos with thy might. Even as thou didst hear me aforetimewhen I prayed, and didst press hardly upon the Achaeans, so hear meyet again, and stay this fearful pestilence from the Danaans." Thus did he pray, and Apollo heard his prayer. When they had donepraying and sprinkling the barley-meal, they drew back the heads ofthe victims and killed and flayed them. They cut out thethigh-bones, wrapped them round in two layers of fat, set somepieces of raw meat on the top of them, and then Chryses laid them onthe wood fire and poured wine over them, while the young men stoodnear him with five-pronged spits in their hands. When thethigh-bones were burned and they had tasted the inward meats, they cutthe rest up small, put the pieces upon the spits, roasted them tillthey were done, and drew them off: then, when they had finishedtheir work and the feast was ready, they ate it, and every man had hisfull share, so that all were satisfied. As soon as they had had enoughto eat and drink, pages filled the mixing-bowl with wine and water andhanded it round, after giving every man his drink-offering. Thus all day long the young men worshipped the god with song,hymning him and chaunting the joyous paean, and the god tookpleasure in their voices; but when the sun went down, and it came ondark, they laid themselves down to sleep by the stern cables of theship, and when the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared theyagain set sail for the host of the Achaeans. Apollo sent them a fairwind, so they raised their mast and hoisted their white sails aloft.As the sail bellied with the wind the ship flew through the deepblue water, and the foam hissed against her bows as she sped onward.When they reached the wide-stretching host of the Achaeans, theydrew the vessel ashore, high and dry upon the sands, set her strongprops beneath her, and went their ways to their own tents and ships. But Achilles abode at his ships and nursed his anger. He went not tothe honourable assembly, and sallied not forth to fight, but gnawed athis own heart, pining for battle and the war-cry. Now after twelve days the immortal gods came back in a body toOlympus, and Jove led the way. Thetis was not unmindful of thecharge her son had laid upon her, so she rose from under the sea andwent through great heaven with early morning to Olympus, where shefound the mighty son of Saturn sitting all alone upon its topmostridges. She sat herself down before him, and with her left hand seizedhis knees, while with her right she caught him under the chin, andbesought him, saying- "Father Jove, if I ever did you service in word or deed among theimmortals, hear my prayer, and do honour to my son, whose life is tobe cut short so early. King Agamemnon has dishonoured him by takinghis prize and keeping her. Honour him then yourself, Olympian lordof counsel, and grant victory to the Trojans, till the Achaeans givemy son his due and load him with riches in requital." Jove sat for a while silent, and without a word, but Thetis stillkept firm hold of his knees, and besought him a second time."Incline your head," said she, "and promise me surely, or else denyme- for you have nothing to fear- that I may learn how greatly youdisdain me." At this Jove was much troubled and answered, "I shall have troubleif you set me quarrelling with Juno, for she will provoke me withher taunting speeches; even now she is always railing at me before theother gods and accusing me of giving aid to the Trojans. Go backnow, lest she should find out. I will consider the matter, and willbring it about as wish. See, I incline my head that you believe me.This is the most solemn that I can give to any god. I never recallmy word, or deceive, or fail to do what I say, when I have nodded myhead." As he spoke the son of Saturn bowed his dark brows, and theambrosial locks swayed on his immortal head, till vast Olympus reeled. When the pair had thus laid their plans, they parted- Jove to hishouse, while the goddess quitted the splendour of Olympus, and plungedinto the depths of the sea. The gods rose from their seats, before thecoming of their sire. Not one of them dared to remain sitting, but allstood up as he came among them. There, then, he took his seat. ButJuno, when she saw him, knew that he and the old merman's daughter,silver-footed Thetis, had been hatching mischief, so she at once beganto upbraid him. "Trickster," she cried, "which of the gods have youbeen taking into your counsels now? You are always settling matters insecret behind my back, and have never yet told me, if you could helpit, one word of your intentions." "Juno," replied the sire of gods and men, "you must not expect to beinformed of all my counsels. You are my wife, but you would find ithard to understand them. When it is proper for you to hear, there isno one, god or man, who will be told sooner, but when I mean to keep amatter to myself, you must not pry nor ask questions." "Dread son of Saturn," answered Juno, "what are you talking about?I? Pry and ask questions? Never. I let you have your own way ineverything. Still, I have a strong misgiving that the old merman'sdaughter Thetis has been talking you over, for she was with you andhad hold of your knees this self-same morning. I believe, therefore,that you have been promising her to give glory to Achilles, and tokill much people at the ships of the Achaeans." "Wife," said Jove, "I can do nothing but you suspect me and findit out. You will take nothing by it, for I shall only dislike youthe more, and it will go harder with you. Granted that it is as yousay; I mean to have it so; sit down and hold your tongue as I bidyou for if I once begin to lay my hands about you, though all heavenwere on your side it would profit you nothing." On this Juno was frightened, so she curbed her stubborn will and satdown in silence. But the heavenly beings were disquieted throughoutthe house of Jove, till the cunning workman Vulcan began to try andpacify his mother Juno. "It will be intolerable," said he, "if you twofall to wrangling and setting heaven in an uproar about a pack ofmortals. If such ill counsels are to prevail, we shall have nopleasure at our banquet. Let me then advise my mother- and she mustherself know that it will be better- to make friends with my dearfather Jove, lest he again scold her and disturb our feast. If theOlympian Thunderer wants to hurl us all from our seats, he can doso, for he is far the strongest, so give him fair words, and he willthen soon be in a good humour with us." As he spoke, he took a double cup of nectar, and placed it in hismother's hand. "Cheer up, my dear mother," said he, "and make the bestof it. I love you dearly, and should be very sorry to see you get athrashing; however grieved I might be, I could not help for there isno standing against Jove. Once before when I was trying to help you,he caught me by the foot and flung me from the heavenly threshold. Allday long from morn till eve, was I falling, till at sunset I came toground in the island of Lemnos, and there I lay, with very little lifeleft in me, till the Sintians came and tended me." Juno smiled at this, and as she smiled she took the cup from herson's hands. Then Vulcan drew sweet nectar from the mixing-bowl, andserved it round among the gods, going from left to right; and theblessed gods laughed out a loud applause as they saw him ingbustling about the heavenly mansion. Thus through the livelong day to the going down of the sun theyfeasted, and every one had his full share, so that all were satisfied.Apollo struck his lyre, and the Muses lifted up their sweet voices,calling and answering one another. But when the sun's glorious lighthad faded, they went home to bed, each in his own abode, which lameVulcan with his consummate skill had fashioned for them. So Jove,the Olympian Lord of Thunder, hied him to the bed in which he alwaysslept; and when he had got on to it he went to sleep, with Juno of thegolden throne by his side.